RICHARD PARSONS’ THE CECIL NAMED 2014 BEST RESTAURANT IN AMERICA BY ESQUIRE MAGAZINE

First Time a Harlem, NY Restaurant Awarded​ This Title

On Tuesday evening Esquire Magazine will unveil the winners of their first annual American Food & Drink Awards at The Cecil in Harlem, NY.

THE CECIL will be named the ​2014 ​Best New Restaurant in America.

THE CECIL, created by New York businessman Richard Parsons and noted restaurateur and chef Alexander Smalls, is New York City’s first Afro-Asian-American brasserie.

Inspired by the travels, exploration and study of the African Diaspora its goal is to connect communities through food, comfort and hospitality. Afro / Asian / American cuisine is a fusion of the best of what each of those distinct food cultures has to offer.

It traces the global migration of African-descendant people through the influence of African spices, textures and cooking techniques on traditional American, Latin and Asian dishes.

Guided by this concept, Executive Chef Smalls and Chef de CuisineJoseph “JJ” Johnson have conspired to create unique plates that combine the familiar with the unexpected.

Daniel Asbury Mixon from Harlem, New York City is an American jazz Pianist.
Currently you can hear him at the newly revised and highly sought upon Jazz Supper Club Minton’s in Harlem.
A prolific piano virtuoso who has performed in the U. S. and Internationally, Daniel Asbury Mixon was born on August 19, 1949 in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up in a musical household he was influenced by his mother and grandparents beginning his early artistic expression at the age of 3. He studied and performed as a tap dancer at the Ruth Williams Dance Studio and even then was known as “The Show Stopper.” Danny attended the High School of Performing Arts with dance as his major.

During an afternoon outing at the Apollo Theatre with his grandfather Danny was inspired by the jazz musicians he heard. It was then that he decided that he would like to be a pianist and he never once looked back.

In May of 2004 Danny was one of the first musicians to be honored by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem in a series entitled “Harlem Speaks,” which resulted in an invitation to the White House for Black Music Month on June 22nd.

Danny’s greatest joy is performing, composing, and arranging for his own group “The Danny Mixon Trio or Quartet,” Danny is currently the Musical Director at Minton’s.

This kind of talent doesn’t grow on trees. Danny Mixon and all of the jazz musicians at Minton’s are what makes Harlem so great. If you have not yet visited Minton’s Supper Club in Harlem, and you are a lover of good food and REAL JAZZ, we highly recommend it. See our previous write up on Minton’s Supper Club, “Harlem’s Opening Night at Minton’s“